Superman: Legacy
by sorahart
Summary: Sequel to Superman: Redemption. Fourteen years have passed since Superman left Earth, hoping to atone for past sins. Now he's finally coming home, but will Earth accept him? And with a deadly new threat emerging, will there even be an Earth to return to?
1. Fourteen Years Later

**Just to be clear, this story is a sequel to Superman: Redemption, making it the third installment in my Superman series. This is also going to be the final story in the series, and bring closure to all the loose ends left in Redemption. This is a pretty lighthearted chapter, for the most part. It won't last long though. I'm planning for this to be the darkest story in the series, even darker than Superman: Corruption. The purpose of this chapter is just to get you caught up on what's happened while Superman was away, and prove a little set up for coming events. So… enjoy!**

Chapter One: Fourteen Years Later

"Is that Earth?" The blue-skinned girl asked, studying the large blue ball that the ship quickly approached.

"Yes Liluo. It is." The dark haired man smiled. "It really is."

"You weren't kidding. There really is lots of water down there." Liluo stated. Then she looked to the man seated next to her, and popped off another question. "You really used to live there?"

"I did."

"Why did you leave?"

"It's a long story Liluo."

"I like stories."

"Well…" The man sighed, and a sad looked drifted into his eyes. "I did some bad things. Some _really _bad things. And everyone on Earth got pretty angry at me. So I left."

"Then why are we going back?" Liluo craned her neck. She had a tendency to do that when asking questions.

"Because I feel like its time to go back." The man leaned back in his chair tiredly.

"And your family is down there, right?" Liluo continued her interrogation. "Your _other _family?"

"Yes."

"You have a son, right?"

"That's right."

"So…" Liluo hesitated, and looked away for a moment.

"What is it Liluo?"

"Will you love your son more than me?"

The man looked over at Liluo. She had asked the question with such innocence, yet such sadness, that he couldn't help but give her a hug. The man had sort of adopted Liluo a while before. She was the last of her kind; all others on her planet had been wiped out by a plague.

The man knew plenty about that. He knew what it was like to feel alone in the universe. So he took her under his wing, and she had become somewhat of a surrogate daughter to him over the years. "No, Liluo. Don't worry about that." He told her. "I'll love you both just the same."

"Good." Liluo offered a smile, and then, apparently satisfied with the results of her interrogation, fell asleep in her chair. The man smiled and looked back at the ship's monitor. Back at the image of planet Earth. While he was excited to be returning, he was also terrified. It'd been fourteen years since he left. How much had changed? Would his friends be willing to forgive him? Was everyone even still alive?

The questions were endless. He leaned back and sighed. "I guess I'll know soon," he muttered to himself. "Clark Kent is coming home."

**Gotham City – Wayne Manor**

"Mom, do you know where my book bag is?" A thirteen year old girl asked as her eyes darted around the room.

"Hera... 'lyta, you really need to keep track of things better." Diana said as she stepped into the room and looked around, taking a mental note that she would have to make her daughter clean the room over the weekend. "Where is the last place you put it?" Diana asked.

"On the bed... it was right ther-.. OH!" Athena shouted as she dove under the bed and pulled the backpack out. "I forgot that I cleaned off my bed last night." Athena Wayne said proudly.

"You put everything under your bed?" Diana asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No... Just the stuff that's _on_ my bed. I got to go mom! I'll be late for school!" Athena ran out of the room and down the flight of stairs.

"Mama... I don't fee so good." A young boy said as he walked into Athena's room.

"Thomas what's wrong?" Diana groaned.

No sooner had she asked then the boy became sick and threw up a pile of half-digested pancakes all over the carpet.

Diana frowned. "Hera… give me strength!"

**Batcave**

"Are you sure?" Bruce Wayne questioned, eyeing the Martian on the other side of the screen..

"Yes Batman, The ship is Kryptonian in nature. I believe that Kal-El is coming back to Earth." J'onn said.

Bruce leaned back his chair and folded his hands. He thought to himself, _Fourteen_ _years Clark. Fourteen long years you've been gone. Diana's finally gotten better. Everything's gotten better. And now you come back. So the question is… are you an ally, or an enemy?_

"What should we do Batman?" J'onn asked, bringing the dark knight back to reality. Bruce had taken control of the Justice League in Superman's absence. Under his leadership, they operated more like an organized military unit than… whatever they had been in the past.

"Contact Lantern and Shayera. I'll contact Flash." Bruce ordered. "I'll contact Flash. On the off chance that he's reverted… we need to be ready."

**Blüdhaven – Grayson House**

"Mary... For the love of God stop running in this house!" Galatea shouted to her twelve year old daughter.

"Sheesh mom!" Mary crossed her arms and looked at her mother.

"The glare doesn't work missy. Now what did I say about going outside to play?" Galatea asked.

"Only after I've done my chores." Mary said as she shook her head.

"That's right... So have you done your chores?" Galatea asked.

"Well I..." Mary started.

"Let me rephrase that... have you done them today?" Galatea asked.

"No..." She answered.

"Then get to it. The faster you do them the faster you can get outside." Galatea smiled at her daughter, but the look in her eyes made it clear that she meant business.

Galatea smirked as she watched Mary head upstairs and then turned back toward the dish she was making. Although she never thought she would get into it, she actually loved to cook. In truth she loved the entire domestic thing. Cooking, cleaning, raising two wonderful children, making love all night to a wonderful husband, and of course helping with Patrols. She loved it because it was normal.

Galatea had lived most of her life as a weapon. She attacked what Cadmus told her to attack, and that was about it. It was only after Dick came into her life that she began to see things from a different perspective. And now that she had finally gotten away from her old life… she loved the normality of her new one.

She picked up a glass, and to her surprise it shattered easily. She groaned and eyed the fragments. Three months ago she started getting her powers back. She hadn't told Dick yet. In truth, she hadn't quite admitted it to herself yet. Galatea didn't want her powers back. She wanted humanity, normality… sure, it had been infuriating at first, how easily she was injured after she lost her invulnerability. And sure it had been irritating to suddenly not have super strength anymore. But over the last thirteen years she'd grown accustomed to the human life, and she wanted it to stay that way. So now, the idea of her powers returning… it terrified her.

A pair of hands found her waist, jerking Galatea out of her thoughts and pulling her to reality with a startled yelp.

"Hi sweetheart." Dick Grayson kissed her neck.

"Hi handsome. So what are you doing home?" She asked.

"Early day today. No need for the court appointed attorney." He said softly.

"Well then, you're just in time to help with dinner." She grinned.

"Honey, remember what happened last time we tried that? The fire entire fire department wound up here."

"I think you can handle slicing some cheese." Galatea laughed and handed her husband a block of cheese and a cheese grater. "By the way, Dick… has Little Bruce shown any more, um, _signs?_"

"Yes." Dick's expression was suddenly very serious. "It looks like Little Bruce did inherit some of your powers after all."

"Damn it."

"It's not such a bad thing 'Tea…"

"I suppose." She sighed. "I just really wanted a normal life for our son."

"Normality is overrated Tea." Dick smiled.

"Not to someone who never had it before."

"We can teach him to control his abilities. If we start young, he shouldn't have any trouble later on." Dick kept his expression calm as always. "But he will have to transfer to the same school as Jon Kent."

"What? Why the _hell _does he have to change schools?"

"Because Jon has the same type of powers, and Kara has been teaching him to control them since he could walk. It'll be good for Little Bruce to be around him."

"I suppose. But they hate each other. Remember the last time they were together? Jon made Little Bruce cry!"

"Tea, they were six years old…"

"Well, still, I don't like my boy being bullied."

"It'll all work out for the best Tea." Dick assured her. "The fact is, LB doesn't have the control over his powers that he needs yet. And Jon and Kara are the best people I can think of to teach him that control."

"I know, I know." Galatea breathed another sigh. "I guess normality is just a dream in the Grayson household, huh?"

"Baby, it's not a dream. It's a delusion."

**(Central City - Wally and Linda West's Apartment - That evening)**

"Iris, Jai, why is the house a mess? I guess that someone doesn't want to go out for pizza tonight." Linda West said as she smiled and held up her hand. "Five, four, three, two, one"

By the time she finished counting the entire living room, kitchen, and hallway was picked up. She walked toward the sofa and saw her daughter Iris walk toward her. The young red head smiled at her mother and took a seat near her.

"How was work mom?" Iris asked, looking at her mother.

"It was the usual, so... how about school? Do anything exciting?" Linda asked.

"Well... Our class dissected a frog. I couldn't get into it so the teacher is going to let me use a computer program that simulates it. Jai got into trouble though." Iris said before her brother sulked into the room.

Linda rubbed her forehead and groaned a little. "What did you do?" She asked her son.

"Nothing..." Jai lied.

"Jai..." Linda asked again. Silence. "Jai Bartholomew West you better tell me what you did right this second!" Linda glared at him.

Jai gulped a little and backed up. "I ummmm... Well I sort of saran wrapped all of the girls toilets on the second floor. I would have gotten away with it though if it hadn't of been for Olivia Queen... She spotted me doing it and then she told on me the little rich brat!" Jai exclaimed.

"After dinner you're grounded. No TV, video games, or cross country runs, and don't think that I won't call your father and have him make sure that you aren't doing it anyway." Linda said as she looked at him.

"Man... Why am I in trouble? I mean you haven't even gotten on to Iris for letting Jon Kent feel her up!" Jai spouted as he noticed his sister's death glare, "Oops, well I better run... See ya!" Jai took off for his room.

Iris started to take off after him, but her mother stopped her.

"What happened?" Linda asked her.

"It was nothing mom... Jon... Well I saw him with the titans... and we kind of got to talking and then he kissed me... and maybe, just maybe I let him get to second base." Irissaid as she watched her mom.

"Sweetheart... We've had the birds and the bees talk right?" Her mom asked.

"Yeah..." Iris said.

"Alright... Just remember that I trust you, and if you break that trust then... well believe me it won't be pretty." She said as she stood and walked out of the room.

**(Kent's Farm house – Outside of SmallVille Kansas)**

Jonathan Kent looked up at the evening sky as he held an apple. He took a small bite of the fruit and then smirked as he turned to see his mother coming out the front door.

"Hi Mom." He said before he turned back to the setting sun.

"Hi sweetheart. What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"Thinking about Grandpa. I miss him." Jonathan said as looked at the lonesome Kansas sky.

"I do too. Your grandpa, Jonathan Kent was a good person. He was one of the sweetest men that I knew." She wrapped her arms around him and placed her chin on the top of his head.

"Is Grandma going to die too?" Jonathan asked as he held his apple.

"Eventually dear." Came the elderly voice of Martha Kent. "Everyone does sweetface, everyone passes on eventually." The old woman sat on the old porch swing.

"So... What good are my powers, my abilities if I can't keep the people I care for, the people I love, from dying?" Jonathan asked as he turned to face his mom and his grandmother.

"Your father use to ask me the same thing." Martha said as she smiled softly. "I told him what I am telling you now. There are things that you can never, never control, but what you do with the time you have, the abilities you have, and how you use them to help people is all that is ever going to matter. Sometimes you do what is right simply for the sake of doing it." Martha said before she picked up an apple out of the bushel that Jonathan had just picked and placed on the porch.

"What happened to dad? I mean what really happened? Cause... Rex Stewart has been saying that he heard his dad and mom talk about how he went crazy... Did he really? Am I going to?" Jonathan asked.

Lois and Martha looked at each other awkwardly. "That's a conversation for another day Jon." Lois told him.

"That's what you always say."

"The right time hasn't come along yet."

"Mom, just tell me what happened to dad! If he was such a great person, how come he's never been around?"

"Oh sweetheart…" Lois sighed, and a tear threatened in her eye. Without another word, she hugged her son. "Another time, ok?"

"Fine." Jon relented, and accepted his mother's embrace.

**Hall of Justice**

"So he's really coming back huh?" Wally West asked in disbelief.

"We believe so." Batman nodded.

"It's about time!" The excited voice of Anthony Selton rang out from the corner.

Anthony was the son of Volcana and the hero Risk. When he was just ten years old, he'd been a key factor in bringing Superman out of the darkness. And now, Anthony was in his early twenties, tossing a fireball up and down in the palm of his hand.

He'd developed his mom's control over fire, but he couldn't create fire himself. He had to take it from another source, which was why he carried a lighter. Everyone just assumed that he smoked.

"Don't get your hopes up Anthony." The dark knight warned. "We may have to take him on."

"Doubt it." Anthony flashed his famous smile. "I was pretty young when Superman left, but if I remember right, his whole redemption thing seemed pretty legit. I'm sure he'll be the good old boy scout we know and love."

"We can only hope." Batman turned away.

In truth, the dark knight was very fond of Anthony. And though he'd never openly admitted to it, Batman someday hoped for Anthony to take his place as leader of the Justice League. He just had to grow up a little more first.

**(Old LexCorp Laboratory)**

Two dark figures slid in through the window of the long-forgotten LexCorp lab. They were Jason Todd and Roy Harper. The two had formed a mercenary-duo over the years, doing jobs for the highest bidder. And now, they're latest employer had hired them to steal Lex Luthor's old experiments.

"You see a light switch anywhere?" Jason asked.

"Ever heard of Consumers, dumb ass?" Roy spat. "The power in this place isn't going to be on anymore!"

"Then find a breaker or something!"

"Calm down Jason, I got it." Roy found a switch that he thought was probably a breaker, and began flipping. "I swear, you must be on your period or something."

"Shut up and get the job done. I'm not seeing any light Roy!"

"It didn't work, ok? Rats have probably chewed the wires in this place to nothing."

"Whatever then, just grab shit." Jason began shoving items off the table into his bag. "We can sort it all out later."

"You're so moody lately." Roy muttered. "Oh my God, Jason are you pregnant?"

"Go to hell Roy."

Within twenty minutes, the two had collected all they needed and escaped back out the window.

They were gone when the computer began lighting up, activating for the first time in over a decade. The switches Roy had flipped were not for the lights at all. They were part of Lex Luthor's last project.

And as the machinery slowly whirred back to life, a large pod began to open with a slick hydraulic hiss. Slowly, a looming figure stepped out into the darkness. And a moment later, it was already formulating its plan.

Jason Todd and Roy Harper didn't know it, but they had just launched what would be the beginning of a new battle.

**A/N- Thanks to my awesome co-author LordFrieza, there's already a ton of work done on this story. Therefore, it shouldn't ever take me too long to update this story. Hold me to that everybody! **


	2. The Part Where It All Begins

Chapter Two: The Part Where It All Begins

_"What?" _Jon Kent eyed the boy standing before him with contempt.

"Little Bruce is developing powers similar to yours." Lois explained once more. "And since you have such excellent control over your abilities, Galatea, Dick and I have decided that it would be best for you to teach him some control."

"Why can't Kara do it?" Jon complained. "She's been doing this longer than I have!"

"Kara is busy with her heroic duties, and can't keep an eye on Little Bruce throughout the day like you can."

"But I _can't_!" Jon uttered. "He lives in a whole different state and-" The boy froze, a look of terror flashing across his face. "Oh no…"

"That's right. For the time being, we've decided that it would be best if Little Bruce stayed with us, here on the farm." Lois nodded. "He'll be temporarily transferring to Smallville Middle School, and because of certain connections that I have, I've been able to guarantee that you'll have all the same classes."

"This is so not fair!" Jon shouted in anguish. "I don't want this _retard _moving into my house!"

"Jonathon Kent!" Lois snapped, her eyes glaring. "That is _not _how you will speak about our new guest. You have no choice in the matter. He _is _staying with us for the time being, you _will _be nice to him, and you _will _help him control his abilities."

"He can barely learn to tie his shoes! How am I supposed to teach him to shoot lasers out of his eyes and defy gravity?"

"Without complaint, that's how." Lois glared. "Or else there will be consequences."

"Fine." Jon sighed in defeat, shoving his hands into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. He looked to Little Bruce with a frown. "Hey."

"Hi." Smiled LB, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Jon had just insulted him, even though he'd been watching the whole exchange. His smile was an innocent one, genuinely happy and full of warmth. His eyes were an electrifying blue color, and always seemed alive with energy. His tangle of messy, dirty-blond hair hung loosely around his head, complimenting the rest of his figure. While for most of his life he'd been underweight and scrawny, he'd recently began to develop muscle at extremely fast rates, and now possessed a borderline six-pack at just fourteen years old.

That had come along with his powers. The powers would show up sporadically, with no warning and absolutely no control. Though his parents, and most other adults, referred to him by his full name, Little Bruce, he found it annoying and preferred to simply go by LB. The first time he'd ever met Jon Kent, Jon had quickly decided that it must stand for "little bitch." And that was how Jon had referred to him ever since, except in the presence of his mother of course.

LB turned around to face his mother and father. "Bye guys." He said cheerfully.

"See ya' kid." Dick patted his son on the shoulder. "Call us every night, ok?"

"Will do."

"If he can figure out how to use a phone first," Jon muttered, and Lois smacked him on the back of the head.

Galatea smiled and stared at her son for a few long moments. She didn't cry; she had to spent enough time with Cadmus that she knew how to stop herself from crying. But she sure felt like it on the inside. "This is for the best honey." She hugged him. "As soon as you've got a handle on your powers, we'll come and bring you home."

"You're hurting me mom." Little Bruce choked, pulling out of the hug.

"Be careful." She told him in the most motherly tone imaginable.

"Mom, that's the point of this whole thing… I'm learning to be invulnerable and stuff, so I don't need to be careful."

"Oh dear…" Galatea sighed, but gave her son a smile. "If you don't call, I'm going to rip your head off. Got it?"

"Yeah mom, I got it."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Then, with a little prying from Dick and one last goodbye, Dick and Galatea got into the car and drove off. And Little Bruce turned, along with Jon and Lois, to enter the farmhouse.

After all the terrible events concerning Superman, Lois Lane had wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of Metropolis for a while. For one thing, she wanted a little calm after all the emotional turmoil, but more importantly, she wanted to protect her son. And she knew that if she stayed in Metropolis, it would be impossible for Jon to stay sheltered from his father's actions. And after the first Jonathon Kent passed away, Ma Kent wanted company on the farm, so she welcomed Lois and Jon with open arms. And now Little Bruce was becoming a temporary addition to the home.

"Ok, Jon, I'm going out with Cal tonight." Lois said in her usual organized and powerful tone. "And I still need to finish an article for the paper, so you two won't be seeing much of me tonight. I expect you to treat our guest just as well as you would if I were here." She narrowed her eyes at her son. "And if you don't, I will find out."

"Sure." Jon sighed, and headed up the stairs. Little Bruce followed.

Jon entered his bedroom, allowing his new roommate to follow him in, then slammed the door and locked it shut. "Listen up, Little Bitch; if you're going to be sharing my air, then there are a few rules you'll have to follow."

"Alright…" LB answered hesitantly. "Like what?"

"Rule 1: You will not touch _any _of my things without my expressed and written consent. Rule 2: No one at school will be allowed to know about your living arrangements. I don't want anyone to know that we even know each other, ok?"

"Ok… I guess."

"Rule 3: You will absolutely not, under any circumstances, fart within the confines of my room. I don't care if you have to stick your ass out the window, I don't want your pollutants in my breathing space. And the most important rule, Rule 4: We are not friends. We're being forced to coexist, and the sooner I can get you controlling your abilities, the sooner we never have to see each other again, got it?"

"Sure." LB plopped down on the bed.

"Hey, dipshit! Did I say you could touch my bed?"

"I, uh-"

"You will sleep on the floor, all night, every night. If you don't like it, there's straw in the barn. Sleep with the horses."

"You know, you could really stand to be a little nicer." LB said solemnly. "We're roomies now, so-"

"Stop!" Jon held out his hand. "Ok, new rule, you will never, ever use the term 'roomies' again. If you do so, I have the right to inflict corporal punishment."

"Ok." LB nodded and went along with Jon's berating, not wanting to start an argument. "Hey, do you have animals here?"

"It's a farm, dumbass. Of course there are animals."

"The fact that you swear so much proves to me that you have a limited vocabulary."

"Ok then, it's a farm you ignoramus, imbecile, nitwit, undereducated fool… shall I go on?"

"No, I think you made your point." LB sighed. "There just aren't really any farms in Bludhaven. I'm kind of excited to see the animals."

"Then you can clean up their crap." Jon shrugged.

"Feces would really be more appropriate word for it. Or stool, or-"

"Little Bitch, have you ever seen a pile of horse crap?" Jon raised an eyebrow.

"No…"

"It's crap. There is really no appropriate way to describe it, other than crap."

"Ok then."

There was silence for several minutes. Finally, Little Bruce spoke, hoping to bring up a less volatile subject. "Who's Cal?"

"What?"

"Your mom said she was going out with Cal tonight. Who's Cal?"

"_Him_…" Jon tightened his jaw. "He's the stupid dickhead who's dating my mom."

"You don't like him?"

"What was your first clue, when I called him 'stupid' or a 'dickhead'?"

"Why don't you like him?"

"Because he's a complete and utter tool." Jon scowled, "He runs the newspaper my mom works at. He's always wearing this fancy suit and perfectly combed hair, and he thinks he's just _so _funny and charming, and he just makes _so _much money, and he drives _such _an expensive car, and I freaking hate him."

"Oh." LB pursed his lip, trying to figure out what Jon didn't like. From that description, Cal sounded like a pretty good guy. But LB didn't dare say that; he was in no mood to start a fight with Jon on his first day in the house.

Little Bruce breathed a deep sigh. _This is going to be a long, long day._

**Dick's Car**

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Galatea breathed deeply from the passenger side of the car.

"He'll be fine Tea'." Dick replied assuredly. "It's for the best."

"It's just… Smallville Kansas is a long way away from Bludhaven New Jersey. My baby is on the other side of the country, with a family he barely knows… I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, but look at our alternatives. You were created with immediate control over your powers, so you don't know how to Little Bruce. And we certainly can't let him run around possessing god-like abilities with no handle on them whatsoever. He's in good hands."

"I know, I know." Galatea gazed out the car window, watching the country landscape slowly transform into dismal city limits. "He got those powers from me."

"Yeah." Dick nodded, only paying half of his attention to his wife and the other half on the road.

"I finally have the life I wanted. And even now… my past is tearing it apart."

**Wayne Manor**

"He's coming back…?" Diana froze, petrified. "After all these years, he's really coming back?"

"It appears so." Bruce nodded. "We can't with one-hundred percent certainty that the ship belongs to Kal-El, but it seems likely."

"But why? After all these years, why would he even bother coming back here?"

"Not my concern." Bruce folded his hands and rested his head upon them. "My only concern is whether he'll be here as a friend or foe. I've mobilized Flash, John, Shayera, and J'onn to intercept the ship upon arrival. I will join them there. If there are any signs at all that Kal is here for a fight, then we'll take him down quickly and efficiently, no holds barred."

Diana was silent. She tried to think about the Clark she'd known for half her life; the man who had stood by her through countless battles, the man who'd saved her life countless times, and vice versa. But all that she could think about was what that man had become when she last saw him.

Superman was a monster, plain and simple. He'd been a great man for a long time, but somewhere along the line, he'd become a monster, and he'd done unspeakable things to Diana, as well as countless others. And no matter how much he tried to redeem himself, no matter how genuine or sincere his reform was… she could never forgive him. Ever.

She couldn't admit it to Bruce, but deep down, she had a small hope that Clark would be hostile. She hoped that the League would have to take him down, because then… then she would never have to stomach calling him an "ally" ever again.

And by the look on her husband's face, she got the sense that he was secretly hoping for that very thing. What Clark had done was unforgivable. He could make up for it a hundred times over, and it wouldn't make a difference. There comes a point when a man is beyond redemption; when the soul is cursed and can never be saved. And in Diana's eyes, Superman had reached that point fifteen years ago.

Studying further, she found something else in her husband's face; exhaustion. Bruce had been working himself to death for a long time. After Superman left, Bruce had taken it upon himself to pick up slack in Metropolis, dealing with crime there as well as in Gotham. Plus, there came the stress of leading the Justice League, maintaining his Bruce Wayne persona, being a father and a husband, and managing his company.

Plus, as much as he wanted to deny it, Bruce Wayne was getting older. Diana had noticed the gray developing in his hair, the wrinkles setting in on his face. And he had been running on severe sleep deprivation for years, in a mostly unbroken cycle. With all the responsibilities on his plate, there was very, very little time for relaxation or sleep in his schedule. It was taking its toll on him. Every night, Batman was getting slower, clumsier, sloppier. And criminals were noticing too. Thugs had been much more confident about taking on the Batman recently, and he'd actually obtained his share of injuries from them.

Diana stared at the heavy bags under his eyes, frowning. "Bruce, take a break."

"What?"

"I'll patrol Gotham tonight. Kara and Steel can handle things in Metropolis. And J'onn can just as easily lead the League for a night or two. You need to rest."

"I'll rest when there's time for it."

"You are going to kill yourself." She said it plainly, but with some hurt in her tone.

"I'll be fine, Diana. You have to watch the kids, and-"

"They're old enough to take care of themselves for a few hours. Besides, Alfred will be here." She took his hands in hers. "You can't protect everyone Bruce. And if you don't get some rest soon, you aren't going to be able to protect _anyone_. Please, please… promise me you'll stay here and sleep like a normal person tonight."

Bruce stared into his wife's eyes for a moment. Unlike him, she didn't age. She still looked the same as she did twenty years ago. One of the perks of immortality. Bruce could feel his own body aging, he could feel himself falling apart at the seams… and it drove him mad. He couldn't stand the thought of wasting away before his wife's eyes, while she stayed young. It was his greatest fear in life, and one that was quickly becoming a reality.

"Ok." He told her in a low tone of voice. "I promise."

**Restaurant in Star City**

"So did you hear the boy scout is coming back?" Helena Bertinelli asked, putting her feet up on the table in the middle of Star City's fanciest restaurant.

"Superman?" Diana Lance-Queen raised an eyebrow.

"No, Beetle Bailey." Helena rolled her eyes.

"Beetle Bailey was a soldier, not a boy scout." Oliver Queen corrected her.

"Beetle Bailey was a comic strip created by Soviet spies in the American newspaper industry to use as propaganda against the U.S. military, making all American soldiers look like dimwits. The idea was to boost confidence in other countries that might attack America, thus weakening us for the Soviet attack." Vic Sage explained from behind his menu, the words flowing out of his mouth automatically.

"Well it's some damn funny Soviet propaganda." Oliver shrugged, taking a drink of his highly expensive wine. "Besides, Vic, you can make anything sound evil."

"How so?" Vic peered up over his menu curiously.

"You have some sort of whacked out conspiracy for everything. I guarantee that any topic I bring up, no matter what it may be, you can link to some paranoid conspiracy theory."

"Conspiracy theorists are commonly associated with paranoia by government-controlled media in order to reduce their credibility, making the public less likely to believe them. That way, they're less likely to find out the truth."

"I rest my case."

"Hold on," Dinah interrupted. "Superman is coming back _here_? How do you know?"

"Diana was out patrolling Gotham earlier tonight. Apparently Bruce is sleep deprived or something. She told me all about it."

"Batman and Diana know?" Oliver frowned. "Damn it! Nobody tells us anything anymore."

"Well to be fair, we didn't tell anyone about our wedding." Dinah reasoned.

"There was good reason for that. Pretty much all our friends are freaks."

"Q," Helena looked over to Vic. "When are you going to get off your ass and propose?"

"If it means that much to you, why don't _you_do it?"

Helena's face began to redden, but she did her best to contain herself. After all, she was a mature woman now, and she didn't need to make a scene in the middle of a nice restaurant. "Well Vic," She began with forced calmness, "I just that _you_might like to do it. Sometime soon, maybe? Because we've dating for almost two freaking decades, Vic?"

"I'm comfortable with that arrangement." Vic shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. "A breakup is much easier than divorce."

"Hey, um… I think I better go powder my nose…" Dinah said quickly.

"Yeah, me too." Ollie agreed, and the couple got up and left the table as fast as humanly possible.

"What did you just say Victor?" Helena glared.

"Well, I'm just saying that if I ever decide that I have to get away from you, it would be much easier if I just avoided the whole marriage thing and-"

There was a blur, and suddenly Helena had tackled Vic to the ground, screaming in his face. "Asshole!" She grabbed a knife off the table and held it at his throat. "Propose you bastard!"

"You're hurting me!"

"Propose!"

Security began trying to pull Helena off of Vic, who she was now strangling, and she kicked them down with ease.

And outside, Ollie and Dinah sprinted into their car and drove home as fast as they could.

**Metropolis Slums**

Anthony Driscoll, son of Claire Selton and Cody Driscoll, also known as Volcana and Risk, now wandered the dank streets Metropolis' Suicide Slum. He was the result of a one-night stand, his mom had been working for the government at the NORAD base, and his father had broken into that base just for the thrill of doing it. And he wound up, well… _doing__it._Nine months later, Anthony was born.

His mom had been in and out of prison for most of his childhood, and he spent a good portion of his time fending for himself on the streets, waiting for his mother's next break out. It was during that time that Anthony learned to con, cheat, steal, lie and whatever else it took to survive.

And though he had made a largely successful effort to turn over a new life, especially within the last couple of years, there were still a few bad habits that he couldn't let go of. One of these habits was his constant smoking. Another was his recklessness with women.

He thought this fact over as he got up from the bed, inside the apartment that he couldn't remember entering, careful not to wake the naked girl whose name he did not know. "Not bad." He muttered to himself, looking at the attractive women passed out next to him. "Wish I remembered it."

In most situations, Anthony didn't allow himself to get drunk. He didn't like to let his judgment become impaired because, living on the streets like he had, he understood the value of a good decision. But apparently, he'd forgotten that rule on the previous night. Anthony wrote down his phone number and left it on her counter, in case she wanted further communication with him. Hopefully he could remember her name before then.

After that, he lit a cigarette, and slipped quietly out of the apartment. _I__want__a__coffee_. He thought. Anthony walked only about half a block down the sidewalk outside the building before he came to an ATM. However, there was one problem; Anthony didn't have enough money in his account to withdraw. "Ah, shit." He grumbled, scrounging for change in his pocket.

Anthony had a job as a waiter at local restaurant, and was going to college to get a degree in engineering. Unfortunately, all money from said restaurant job went to fund said college expenditure. And that wasn't nearly enough. With a deep, reluctant sigh, Anthony found a payphone and inserted all the change he was able to rummage out of his pocket.

He then punched in the number he wanted, and listened to the phone ring twice before someone answered. _"__Hello?__"_

"Hey, Mom… I'm really sorry to ask this twice in one month, but-"

"Y_ou__need__money.__" __She__finished__the__sentence__for__him__automatically._

"Just enough to keep me fed until payday."

"_Are you calling me from a payphone? What happened to your cell?"_

"Couldn't pay the bill."

"_I__suppose__you__'__ll__need__me__to__cover__that__too?__"_

"Well, if it's alright with you…"

"_I__'__ll__take__care__of__it.__You__focus__on__getting__your__degree__for__now,__got__it?__"_

"Yeah mom, I got it."

"_Ok,__talk__to__later__then.__"_

"Wait," Anthony interrupted. "There was something else I wanted to ask you…"

"_Yeah?__"_

"Superman's ship was expected to arrive on Earth soon, right?"

"_I__believe__so__…"_

"Well, do you have any idea where?"

"_Anthony__…"_

"Mom, come on… you don't have to worry. Superman was like, my best friend."

"_You__were__ten__years__old.__"_

"And now I'm twenty four. So what?"

"_I__'__ve__kind__of__been__out__the__loop__for__a__while__now.__If__you__really__feel__the__need__to__meet__up__with__him,__I__would__ask__one__of__the__League.__"_

"Ok, just wondering. Bye mom."

"_Bye__Anthony_."

Anthony returned the phone to the receiver, and lowered his head, allowing his ashy red hair to fall over his eyes. "Superman… please remember me."

**Space**

Superman glanced over at Liluo, passed out in her chair, and smiled. Liluo's home planet had been wiped out by a plague; she was the last of her kind. Superman had saved her, knowing what it was like to feel alone in the universe, and took her under his care. He loved her like a daughter. Still, he worried about how his family on Earth would react. Assuming they even wanted him around.

The man of steel breathed a deep sigh. He still hadn't told Liluo why he was _really_returning to Earth. He had his reasons… he just didn't want her to know yet.

He didn't want her to know that if he didn't return soon, he would never be able to her. In fact, he would never be able to go anywhere…

**Kent Farm**

LB Grayson sat in the attic of the farmhouse, looking through old photo albums. There a lot of pictures of Clark Kent. He knew about Superman, hell, everyone knew about Superman. But he didn't know why he wasn't around anymore. There were rumors around school that Superman had turned evil, but he'd never heard anything to really convince him it was true. He'd asked his parents about it several times, but they always told him that it was something they preferred not to think about.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by voices. Loud, ear-splitting voices. "What the…" He cupped his hands around his ears, but it did little good, and Little Bruce winced in pain. He began to make out words, as if the sound was becoming more focused. _"__Jon,__get__the__door!__" _Lois was yelling.

LB decided to see what the commotion was, hoping to get his mind off the painful noise in his ears, and headed down the stairs. As he entered the living room of the farmhouse, he could see Jon standing at the front door, pulling it open with a reluctant sigh. "Hey." He huffed.

"Hello Jonathon." A neatly dressed man said from the doorstep. His hair was combed perfectly, his , his suit was clean and neat, and his features were orderly, if not a little stiff. He had a friendly smile and a trustworthy face. He was probably in his early forties, but appeared to be in very good shape.

"Cal." Jon uttered bitterly. "Here again to make my life a little worse?"

"Jonathon," Cal began in an even tone, "I know that you don't agree with your mother and I dating, but I think we would both appreciate it if you would at least give me a chance?"

"I would appreciate it if you would drink some gasoline and light a cigarette." Jon folded his arms. "But if you just stop going out with my mom, that'll work too."

"Where is your mother?" Cal asked brightly, changing the subject.

"Getting ready. For some reason, she wants to look pretty for you."

"Maybe your mother just has a bit more respect than you do." Cal pursed his lips.

"I give respect where respect is deserved. You've done nothing to earn it from me." Jon leaned against the doorframe, eying Cal like an opponent.

At that moment, Lois came running down the stairs, looking absolutely beautiful. "Ah, there's the lovely lady." Cal said with a smile, and handed Lois a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, that's not cliché at all." Jon rolled his eyes.

"Jonathon!" Lois barked, and then looked back to Cal. "They're beautiful. Thank you so much."

"Read the card." Cal smiled.

Lois unfolded the card on the bouquet and read aloud, "Sunflowers for my ray of sunshine." Then she looked back up to Cal, smiling.

"_Sunflowers__for__my__ray__of__sunshine?__" _Jon repeated. "That's your idea of clever? I always wondered what kind of person they had in mind when they decided to put instructions on a bar of soap."

"Jonathon Kent!" Lois snapped, her face reddening. "One more word out of you, and I'll kick your sassy little ass, got it?"

"Yes mother."

"Shall we go?" Cal asked, flashing his million dollar smile.

"Let's." Lois nodded with something close to excitement, and the two headed out the door together.

After the door closed behind the couple, Little Bruce walked out into the middle of the room. "What a douche."

Jon looked at Little Bruce with a surprised expression. "Finally, something we can agree on."

"Your dad was way cooler."

"How do you know?"

"Well… he was Superman, you know?"

"He was also never _here_." Jon frowned. "Not for me, anyway."

"Why did Superman disappear?"

"I wish I knew."

"You don't even know what happened to your own dad?"

"Nope. For somebody so obsessed with the truth, my mom can be pretty damn secretive."

"Huh." Little Bruce paused a moment, a bit disappointed. He was hoping to find out the whole story from Jon. After a minute or so of silence, he decided to change the subject. "I could hear them."

"What?"

"I was up in the attic, and I could hear you guys down here, clear as day. How does that happen?"

"That's your super-hearing kicking in. It's a real pain in the ass until you get it under control." Jon was quiet for a few minutes, waiting for Cal's car to pull out of the driveway, and then the boy looked to LB with a mischievous grin. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" LB raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know about you, but I learn better through experience," Jon smiled, "If I have to teach you to control your powers, it might as well be on the job."

"What does that mean, exactly?" LB inquired.

Jon pulled on his jacket, and cracked his knuckles. "Let's go find some trouble."

"That sounds like a bad idea to me."

"Don't be a pussy." Jon pulled open the back door quietly. "It's Smallville, don't worry. The only excitement around here is tipping cows."

"We're going to tip cows…?" Little Bruce asked, very confused.

"Hell no." Jon laughed. "We're going to find out what happened to my dad."

**Catacombs Beneath Metropolis**

The figure wandered slowly through the catacombs, having just been woken up by Jason and Roy. Now it was time to fulfill his purpose. The figure heard voices, and followed toward them. Eventually, he found the source; an expedition team that was sent to survey the catacombs. There were four of them, four men outfitted with heavy digging equipment.

"Need to build…" The man muttered, stepping into the light.

"Who the hell is that?" One of the surveyors questioned.

"Probably some frickin' druggie." Another said.

"Hey buddy, you lost?" One of the surveyors approached the man, who had spent the last twenty-four hours wandering aimlessly in the dark. There was no response. "Hey, pal, you hear me?" The surveyor reached out his hand to touch the man, and in one quick movement, accompanied by the sound of bone shattering, the figure grabbed the surveyor's hand and crushed.

The surveyor let out a scream, and the figure plunged his hand into his stomach, drawing a fountain of blood and bringing a painful death the man. "So weak…" The figure muttered, throwing the dead surveyor down.

The remaining three were frozen in shock. "Oh my God…" One stammered.

"God… how typical." The figure lumbered forward. "You stupid chunks of flesh and meat, the moment you are confronted with fear, you turn to a higher power hoping to be saved. There is no salvation here. Not for you. Not for anyone."

There was another blur, and suddenly the figure had ripped a second man in half! A third attempted to fight back, but the figure grabbed him and disabled him with ease. "Talking meat, that's all you are. Disgusting sacks of blood and beef, held together by bones that are easily broken and flesh that is easily torn. It's a wonder you've survived as a species at all. And, quite frankly, it's also pathetic."

The figure killed the third man, then ripped the throat out of the fourth, then gazed upon the for corpses. "I will correct nature's mistake. I will rid the world of the talking meat. But first… I must become complete." The figure looked up toward the hole through which the surveyor's had entered the catacombs. "I am Paragon. And I must be complete."

**A/N To keep with tradition for this series, this story will have an extremely complicated plot, but I think it all ties together nicely. In the next chapter we'll catch up with Wally, John and Shayera, as well as see what's been going on at Themyscira… plus, we'll learn a bit more about what Paragon is, and Superman's real reasons for returning to Earth. So… stay tuned **


	3. Paragon

**Alright, sorry for the long wait, but the new chapter is finally here! The next chapter will focus more on the adult superheroes, and how they interact with Superman returning after all these years. But this particular chapter is meant to establish the OC's, and get the story moving along.**

**Parts of this chapter seem to drag on a little bit to me, while other parts feel slightly rushed. Then again, I'm always too critical of my own work, so let me know what you think.**

Chapter Three: Paragon

**Abandoned Cadmus Laboratory **

The lab where Galatea had once been held was no longer in operation. Ever since the conspiracy involving nanobots in the drug SHIELD went awry, due to interference from Lex Luthor, the project had officially been put out of commission. But now, for the first time in fourteen years, a lone figure enters the dark building.

Slowly, the man snaked over to the small reserve of the SHIELD drug. The only samples left in existence. "Perfect…" The man uttered. He reached out his hand, and with a mechanical roar, the mind-controlling nanobots hidden within the drug sprang back to life. The nanobots emerged in a cloud, swirling around the man, obeying his thoughts. The man withdrew a knife from his pocket, and without hesitation, sliced a deep gash in his wrist. Blood spilled onto the floor as the blade pierced his flesh.

Then, as if on cue, the cloud of nanobots entered into the open wound, making their way into the man's bloodstream. Almost instantly, the wound healed. The man's eyes shone with a bright, malevolent yellow color. "Yes…" He moaned as a series of strange tattoos began to spread over his body. The patterning of the tattoos resembled a circuit board, grafted onto his flesh. Soon the markings were covering all of his arms and torso, running up most of his neck. "That's much better." The man said with a wicked smile, and turned to see his reflection in a cracked window.

In the window, he saw the image of Lex Luthor. "I still look like him. But I am better than him." The man growled, before flinging a punch and shattering the window with ease. "I've become better; but not perfect."

The man turned toward the open window and stepped forward. "It is time for Paragon to become complete."

**Jump City**

Anthony Driscoll stepped into his small apartment, littered with crushed soda cans and empty pizza boxes, and plopped down on the couch and pulled out his Economics text book. He was currently holding a solid C in the class, and if he didn't ace the upcoming term paper it was going to kill his grade.

However, Anthony was quickly startled out of his concentration by his ringtone. _"My Milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard-"_

"Ugh…" Anthony grunted, answering the phone. _I have got to get a new ringtone. _"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Anthony Driscoll?" A feminine voice on the other end asked.

"Um, yeah… who's asking?"

"Oh, you probably don't remember my name. I'm the girl who you… woke up with, the other day?"

"Oh!" Anthony's eyes widened, thinking back to the girl who had woken up next to, naked, after getting drunk with his friends a few nights before. "Well, uh… hi. I left you my number."

"Yeah, I know. That's kind of how I'm calling you right now."

"Right…"

"You're not drunk again, are you?"

"No, just surprised. That's all."

"The kind of girls who you normally have one-night stands with don't usually call, do they?"

"I don't normally have one night stands, actually."

"Wow, you're a terrible liar even when you're sober."

"Ok." Anthony breathed, a bit confused about the woman's intent. "Can I ask why you're calling?"

"Just to thank you."

"For…?"

"Most guys wouldn't leave their name and number on the counter after they wake up with a naked girl passed out next to them. That was really nice of you."

"Well, I wanted to be polite." Anthony shrugged, "What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Stormy."

"Stormy," Anthony repeated, "That's a cool name."

"You said the same thing when I told you it the first time."

"Sorry, I don't really remember a thing from that night…"

"Well don't worry; you didn't do anything that wasn't wanted." Stormy assured him. "You were already pretty intoxicated when I met you at the bar. We talked for a little while, and then some jerk tried hitting on me. When I blew him off, he got very rude and started grabbing me in some very inappropriate places. So you beat the crap out of him."

"Oh did I?" Anthony laughed, "That sounds about right."

"After that, I was extremely wowed by your heroism, and one thing led to another, and… well, you can probably figure out the rest."

"I'm glad you remember all of this, because I sure as hell don't have a clue." Anthony leaned forward on the couch, remembering how beautiful she had looked when he woke up in the bed next to her. "So, Stormy… sorry if I'm being too forward, but, would you be interested in meeting up again some time? Preferably sober?"

"I would love to."

"Alright, cool." Anthony smiled. "Is tonight ok?"

"Works for me."

"Where do you want to meet and what time?"

"Well let's see… I'm leaving the embassy in about forty five minutes, so-"

"Wait, the _embassy_? What embassy are we talking about?"

"The U.S. embassy silly."

"Why are you at the U.S. embassy?"

"I have to report there now and then to maintain my status as an ambassador from Themyscira."

"Themyscira? Hold on, what-"

"See you later Anthony."

The phone call ended, and Anthony fell back on the couch. "Oh God… what did I just sign up for?"

**Meanwhile, in Smallville**

Jon Kent climbed briskly up the ladder onto the rooftop of Smallville High School. Little Bruce followed reluctantly behind. "Hey Jon, I really don't think we're supposed to be up here." LB protested.

"Will you man up? You can't spend your whole life doing everything that people tell you."

"What if we get caught?" LB asked, climbing onto the roof of the school. "We could get in some serious trouble for this you know."

"Look, LB… I need to ask you do something for me." Jon said calmly, "For one night, just this one night, I need you to stop being so afraid. Can you do that for me?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then how come you always do what you're told?"

"Because I respect authority. I respect rules."

"So why did you come up here with me tonight?"

"Because…" Little Bruce paused, unsure of what to say.

"Because I told you to. You came up here because I told you to. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"And yet I told you to break the rules. That's not respect that you have, LB, that's fear. You're afraid to think for yourself. And that's what we're going to change before we do any training with your powers. Before I can teach you to use your abilities for yourself, I need to teach you to _think _for yourself."

"So I should have said no and gone somewhere else when you asked me to come up here?"

"No, this is where the lesson starts."

"But you just said-"

"Dude, this is going to be a whole lot easier if you don't overanalyze it." Jon replied.

The two were silent for a few long moments. Jon turned and gazed at the stars with a dreamy look in his eyes that LB couldn't quite figure out.

"I like that you can see the stars here." Little Bruce said, looking up at the twinkling night sky. "You can't see them in Bludhaven. Too many lights."

"What's it like, living in a big city?"

"Louder. Definitely louder."

"Probably a hell of a lot more exciting than Smallville." Jon grunted, sitting down with his legs dangling over the side of the building. "The only excitement we get around here is tipping cows. That gets really old when you have super strength, takes the fun right out of it."

"I don't know, I think I'd like to live in a small town like this." Little Bruce shrugged. "I could get used to the peace and quiet."

"Not me." Jon shook his head, "I say the only good thing about a crap town like this is getting out."

There was yet another heavy silence between the two. Little Bruce broke the silence again by saying, "I know that I'm not supposed to over analyze stuff, but… didn't you say that we were coming out here to find answers about your dad?"

"It's complicated." Jon said in a voice that sounded only half-there.

"You don't know where to look for answers, do you?"

"Not a clue." Then, changing the subject, Jon looked over to Little Bruce with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and said, "You want to have some real fun?"

"I guess."

"I warn you though; we'll be breaking a whole lot of rules…"

"I suppose I'm game." Little Bruce shrugged. As much as he hated to admit it, Jon was right. LB was afraid to live life on his own, and found it much easier to live it through guidelines set by others. But maybe Jon was right about all of it… maybe it was time to start taking risks. "What did you have in mind?" LB inquired.

"Keystone City is only about two hours away from here. How about we head there and find some excitement?"

"Sure." Little Bruce answered sheepishly. The thought of Jon's proposition made him sick to his stomach, but he really didn't want to say no either.

"Cool." Jon pulled out his cell phone and scrolled swiftly through his contacts, resting on the name Iris West. He hit the "call" button, and a minute later, Iris had picked up on the other end.

_"Hello?" _She asked.

"Iris, this is Jon. I'm headed to Keystone for some action; think you and Jai could join us?"

_"Yeah. We'll have to sneak out of course, but I'm up for it."_

"Alright. Meet us by the Flash Museum. We'll be there in about forty five minutes."

_"Us? Is there someone else with you?"_

"Yeah, I'm bringing a guest."

_"Do I know this person?"_

"Remember Little Bruce from the Christmas parties at the watchtower? Galatea and Nightwing's kid?"

_"Oh yeah, didn't we always call him Little Bitch?"_

"Yup, that's the one. See you soon."

"Who was that?" Little Bruce asked, clearly confused.

"Iris West, daughter of the Flash, and an extremely hot young speedster if I do say so myself."

"Oh."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What? I just said 'oh.'"

"No, you _groaned _it. You're not afraid of girls, are you?"

"Just the crazy ones." LB mumbled, then quickly changed the subject. "I thought you said Keystone was two hours away?"

"It is, by car."

"Then why did you tell Iris we'd be there in forty five minutes?"

"Because we aren't driving."

Suddenly, Jon shoved Little Bruce over the edge of the building! Little Bruce hit the ground with a hard thud, surprised, but not really hurt. "What the heck was that for?" He screamed.

"That was your first lesson." Jon smiled. "Invulnerability 101. It's a good lesson to start with because it's natural; you don't even have to think about it. You just need to know that its there. And now you know."

"You could have at least warned me first."

"What would be the fun in that?"

Jon smiled, and levitated down effortlessly. "Now, here's lesson two; leaping tall buildings in a single bound."

"How do I do that?"

"Its easy, just leap." Jon shrugged.

Little Bruce responded by doing a bunny hop, having no impressive results. "It didn't work."

"What the hell was that? I told you to leap. That was a hop."

"Like this?"

"No, now you're skipping!"

"Well I'm sorry; I guess I don't know how to leap."

"Have you ever seen a kangaroo? Kangaroo's leap. Bunnies hop. Don't be a bunny, be a kangaroo."

"Alright, kangaroo…" Little Bruce crouched down, and then lunged upward. To his surprise, suddenly he was a hundred feet in the air! He sailed for what had to have been the equivalent of six blocks before touching down in a heavily wooded area far from the school. "That is awesome!" LB practically squealed.

"I know right?" Jon laughed, touching down behind him. "Race you to Keystone?"

"Alright, but lets raise the stakes." Little Bruce grinned.

"How so?"

"If I win, I get to sleep on your bed, and _you _get the floor."

"See, now I've got you thinking for yourself." Jon smiled and said, "You're on!"

**Justice League Watchtower – Same Time**

"How much longer?" Batman asked in his usual brooding fashion.

"The ship is now nearing Earth's atmosphere. I suspect that Superman will arrive here by dawn." J'onn answered.

"That gives us time to mobilize a strike force, if he proves hostile. I want every available Leaguer to the estimated location of Superman's ship landing, ASAP." Batman announced, and J'onn immediately got to work on assembling the team.

From across the room, Shayera tapped on Diana's shoulder. "Is Bruce ok? He seems… tired."

"I don't know." Diana sighed, "He's been working himself so hard lately, trying to patrol Gotham, half of Metropolis, and lead the Justice League… it's wearing on him. Especially now that he's getting older."

"He needs to slow down." Shayera agreed. "Have you tried telling him that?"

"Of course. But honestly, its impossible to get much of anything through that man's thick skull."

"I hear you. John is just the same way." Shayera rolled her eyes.

"I should probably head out to the embassy, see how things are going." Diana sighed.

"Why? What's going on there?"

"Do you remember those clones that the Justice Lord's Batman created a few years back? The ones who Question eventually isolated the Clone Degeneration Gene from, which we used to defeat Luthor?"

"Yeah, sure." Shayera nodded. "There were six of them right?"

"Yes. Stormy, Angel, Snow, Silky, Donna, and Jerri. They were all clones built from the combined DNA of Ultraman and my Lord-Verse counterpart. Well, ever since we freed them, they've been living on Themyscira with the Amazons. But now that they've all matured, they want to return to America, and now they're trying to gain citizenship from the government. However, there are several issues being raised, and its been a political battle."

"Oh." Shayera nodded, "Wow. I should probably get home too, and check on my two _wonderful _children who have probably destroyed my house yet again."

After this, the two women parted ways, while Batman prepared a battle plan… in case he needed to take down Superman.

**Outsiders Headquarters**

Since the departure of Superman, a new team of Outsiders had been formed to work behind the scenes while the Justice League operated in the limelight. Superman had never been very approving of a secret, covert team during his leadership. But now Batman was behind the reigns of the JLA, and eagerly sanctioned The Outsiders to handle operations that needed to be kept out of the public eye.

In charge of this team was Dick Grayson, better known as Nightwing. Working alongside him were the heroes Risk, Volcana, Starfire, Black Lightning, and recently Plastic Man had joined their ranks.

They resided in what had once been the Justice Cave, but was now the Outsiders HQ. An alarm began to sound, and Nightwing sprinted to the computer, which was synched to satellites orbiting the Earth that constantly monitored radio waves, and were programmed to pick out occurrences of criminal activity. The alarm meant a possible metahuman threat.

"What's going on?" Volcana asked.

"Do we finally get to see some action?" Risk cracked his knuckles, his usual cocky smile present.

"There's been an attack on the U.S. Embassy." Nightwing responded grimly.

"Like, a terrorist attack? Alien invasion? Mole men? What are we dealing with here?" Plastic Man questioned.

"The attacker hasn't been identified. But they appear to be metahuman."

"Attacker? Singular?"

"Yup."

"Who in their right mind would attack the embassy alone? Since Cadmus took over security, there's enough protection there to keep the entire League out!" Black Lightning exclaimed.

"We're about to find out." Nightwing responded, "Move out!"

**JLA Watchtower **

"What is wrong?" J'onn asked the Dark Knight.

"Nothing." Batman growled in response.

"I sense that you are lying."

"Stay out of my head."

"You do not want Superman to return, do you?" J'onn stated the question bluntly.

"What gave you that impression?"

"Ever since you learned that he is coming back, you've been brooding even more than usual."

"We've all moved on." Batman said with a heavy sigh. "Even Diana has moved on. She's finally moved past the things that he did to her. Why come back now? We've finally healed from the hell he put us all through, and he has the nerve to come back after all these years?"

"You are angry at him."

"I am." Batman admitted, but there was no emotion displayed in his tone. "I can never forgive Kal El for the things he did. Ever. That's how it is." Batman faced J'onn, a scowl on his face. "What if he truly has reformed? How can I fight alongside the man who beat and raped my own wife? The man who nearly killed me, and everyone I care about? Every time I see him, I won't think of him as an ally, or a hero, and most certainly not as a friend. I'll think of all the people he killed, all the lives he ruined, all the scars he left. How can I fight for justice alongside a murdering psychopath, reformed or not?"

"That is something I believe we have all considered." J'onn nodded grimly. "And I'm doubtful any of us have found an answer."

"I don't want Superman to come back." Batman dropped his gaze for a moment, clenching his fists. "I don't want that weight on my shoulders. I don't want to work with a man who I hate. I don't want to be constantly suspicious of his loyalty, but most of all… I don't want to see him playing the hero again. As awful as it may sound, there's a part of me that doesn't want him to reform. Because then I don't have to feel bad for hating him."

Batman looked back up to the screen, displaying the footage of Superman's approaching ship. "Why are you coming back Kal El? Why now?"

**Keystone City**

"I win." Jon said with an arrogant smile, touching down at the Flash Museum in Keystone City.

"Whatever." Little Bruce grumbled, touching down seconds after Jon.

"About time you guys got here." Jai West smiled, leaning against the statue of his father with his arms crossed.

"Hey, leave Jon alone. It isn't his fault he has to haul around all that dead weight." Iris West glared at Little Bruce, a frown on her face.

"What's up Little Bitch?" Jai asked in a surprisingly friendly voice.

"The sky." LB answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Fair enough."

"Enough with the introductions." Jon smiled, "Anything interesting going on around here tonight?"

"Rumor on the street is Captain Cold broke out of jail." Iris answered with a smile.

"Our dad's out of town. I say its our job, nay, our _duty_, to go kick some ass." Jai smiled.

"I take it this isn't the first time you guys have done this?" LB asked.

"Occasionally I come here to blow off steam, pound some thugs." Jon cracked his knuckles.

"And you're parent's don't know, right?" LB continued.

"Of course not." Jai laughed as if it were the dumbest question he'd ever been asked.

"Jonny boy here is lucky if his mom lets him off the farm on a Saturday night, let alone go crime fighting. And our dad isn't too crazy about Jai and I using our powers in public." Iris responded.

"Are you in or not LB?" Jon asked, raising an eyebrow at his trainee. "It'll be great practice for using your powers."

"Alright." Little Bruce sighed, "I guess I'm in."

"Good." Jon pulled up his hood. "Let's go kick some ass."

**United States Embassy **

The six clone sisters, Stormy, Jerri, Silky, Snowy, Donna, and Angel, were currently being rushed to a cellar by armed security guards while Cadmus forces tried to battle the attacker.

"We can help!" Stormy protested as the guards pushed her forward.

"Sorry miss, we're under strict orders to keep you six out of harm's way." One of the guards responded.

"But we have powers! Come on, let us fight that guy!"

"We can't do that."

"Really, because it looks like all of your buddies are dead." Stormy frowned.

"What?" One of the guards turned around to see the mysterious attacker flying toward them! He wore a long black trench coat, and his neck was covered in odd circuit-board like tattoos. But aside from that, he bore a striking resembling to Lex Luthor.

"Shoot him!" The guard shouted. The four soldiers present opened fire, but the bullets bounced off of the attacker harmlessly.

Suddenly, the man's arms were encased in what looked like a swarm of metallic insects. Then, in the blink of an eye, the insects merged into two razor sharp swords! The man plunged the swords through two of the guard's abdomen, impaling them and spraying blood throughout the hall.

The remaining two guards, trembling in fear, took aim with their weapons. "Oh please," The man rolled his eyes, and held his palm out toward the soldiers. Another swarm of metal insects emerged from his palm, and surrounded the two soldiers. And then the swarms merged into a series of blades, and the guard's exploded into showers of blood and chunks of meat.

"Typical human. Nothing but talking meat with a misplaced superiority complex." The man turned to face Stormy and her sisters, his face emotionless. "There you are." He took another step toward them. "You are what I need to complete my programming."

"What's he talking about?" Jerri asked.

"Who cares? Let's hit him!" Stormy shouted, flying at the attacker without a second thought. The man's reflexes were faster than expected, and he grabbed Stormy by the throat. "Such a pretty little meat puppet. Too bad you aren't as smart as you are attractive."

"Um… thanks?" Stormy choked, before unleashing a beam of heat vision into the man's face. He screamed and threw her down. All six of the clones rushed the man, but the cloud of metal insects swept over them and grabbed them in mid air, stopping them cold.

The man recovered quickly, and looked at the six trapped clones. "That's better. Now, how about we get down to business?" His eyes flashed yellow, and suddenly, the clones began to scream in agony. They could feel themselves disappearing, as if their very essence was being drained from them.

However, only about a second into the torment, a burst of fire struck the villain and propelled him into a wall. The metallic swarm receded, and the clones fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Stormy looked up to see Anthony Driscoll approaching.

"Anthony?"

"Hey." He smiled at her. "Why is it that we never seem to meet under proper circumstances?"

"More talking meat here to interrupt the games." The villain uttered, standing up and looking at Anthony with venom in his eyes.

Anthony backed away, a surprised look forming on his face. "Lex Luthor?"

"Not even close." The man growled, "I am Paragon."

Paragon extended his hand, and the metallic swarm surrounding him morphed into a gigantic steel ball, covered in spikes! The ball rolled at Anthony at high speed. He flipped open his lighter and manipulated the flame, unleashing a torrent of heat at the oncoming weapon. As the fire approached, the ball separated itself into two giant spinning razor blades! The blades sliced through the concrete floor and maneuvered toward Anthony swiftly.

He dodged as well as he could, but one of the blades landed a deep gash on his arm. The second blade did a U-turn and moved into slice Anthony in half, when at the last second, Stormy jumped in front of him and held her arms up in a block. The blade collided with her skin and, to Anthony's surprise, grinded against her as if she herself were made of steel!

"Well you are just full of surprises." Anthony said, wide eyed.

"Anthony, not to be rude or anything, but get the hell out of the way!" Stormy screamed.

Anthony ran to the right, and Stormy flung her arms to the left, propelling the blade away. It had begun to pierce her steel-like skin, and blood trickled down her forearms. As it hit the ground, the razor blade separated into a cloud of microscopic robots, that continued to swarm around Paragon as he prepared to launch his next attack.

"What is this guy?" Anthony asked.

"I was kind of hoping you would know." Stormy replied.

Angel flew in to kick Paragon in the face, but the nanobots shielded him from her attack and propelled her away. Paragon molded the nanites into to large, javelin-like blades protruding from his wrists.

However, before he could make his move, a razor tiara soared through the air and sliced Paragon's cheeks! However, they healed almost immediately. The tiara sailed back to its wielder, the one and only Wonder Woman. "Thought I'd come to check on the six of you. Looks I came at a good time."

"More interference from the talking meat." Paragon scowled. "I'm growing annoyed by these trivial attempts. I'll kill you swiftly."

"Sounds good to me!" A female voice cried out, and a bolt of bright green energy sailed out toward Paragon. However, it was blocked by the nanobots. Everyone looked up to see Starfire, along with the rest of the Outsiders, gazing down through a hole in the ceiling.

"Sorry we're late." Nightwing announced.

"Fashionably late. That's how the Outsiders roll." Risk smiled.

"Anthony?" Volcana noticed her son down below. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story mom."

"Enough!" Paragon roared, and a torrent of nanites erupted toward the Outsiders. They scattered, avoiding the powerful attack. In the wake of his distraction, Donna flew after Paragon from behind.

"Donna! Wait!" Wonder Woman cried out, but it was too late. The young clone was ensnared by the nanobots, and they quickly encased her body. Her muffled screams could be heard from inside the steal cocoon.

The rest of the clones fired their heat vision, but the steel coffin proved impenetrable. And then, within seconds, Donna's screams died out. Paragon's eyes shone with a bright yellow, and the nanobots scattered again. Donna had disappeared.

"What did he do to her?" Stormy screamed.

"Don't feel bad." Paragon announced, "She is only serving her purpose. To make me complete. She was only the first piece of the puzzle. The rest of you will soon join her, and I will become the perfect being that my creator intended for me to be."

"I don't know what you're talking about asshole, but you just killed my sister!" Stormy cried out in rage, and charged Paragon, but Anthony quickly tackled her.

"Stop! He might do the same thing to you."

"Leave this to us." Nightwing's voice erupted from the shadows, and Paragon turned around in surprise, just in time to be struck with a series of explosive birderangs. As they detonated, Starfire released a hail of star bolts onto Paragon.

When the smoke cleared, Paragon's arm had been blown off! He gazed at the ground, silent.

"Take him down!" Risk shouted, and all of the heroes charged. However, Paragon's body dissipated into a thick metallic cloud, and he reformed high above the group. His arm had already healed, rebuilt by the nanobots. "It seems my power is not yet sufficient to defeat you all. I managed to get one of the clones. An acceptable achievement for the time being."

"Stop him!" Diana shouted, but it was too late. Paragon was already disappearing into the cloud of nanites.

"Until we meet again, heroes."

The cloud dissipated, and Paragon was gone.

Stormy and her sisters began to cry, shocked by the disappearance of her sister.

"Did you notice that guy looked a whole lot like Luthor?" Nightwing asked, looking to Diana.

"Unfortunately." The Amazon princess turned to Volcana and said, "You have the most experience with them. Get the clones calmed down. I'll call Batman and tell him what happened."

"Sounds good." Nightwing nodded. Then he turned his attention to Anthony. "What were you doing here?"

"I had a date." Anthony shrugged. "Then she turned out to be a super powered clone being hunted by a maniac."

"What does he want with them?" Risk questioned, nodding to the clones.

"I wish I knew." Diana sighed. "I don't think he just killed Donna. It almost seemed like he was… absorbing her."

"We need to get them somewhere safe." Volcana nodded. "I can take them back to Themyscira and-"

"No!" Stormy argued between sobs. "I don't want to go back to Themyscira. Not until I find out what Paragon is, and what he did to my sister."

"We'll deal with it later." Diana assured her. Then she pulled out her communicator and signaled Batman. "Bruce… we have a problem."

"So do we." Batman replied.

"What?"

"The ship landed earlier than expected. Superman is here."

**A/N: And so it begins! Like I said, the next chapter will be more centered on the adults, with the return of Superman. This chapter was mainly for the purpose of establishing the villain, as well as the rest of the OC's. **

**In the next chapter we'll learn why Superman has really come back to Earth, uncover a bit more about exactly what Paragon is, and Jon will learn the truth about his father… so stay tuned ;)**


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